Smart cap

ABSTRACT

A cap includes a measuring volume. The cap includes numerical volumetric graduation markings on its body, the markings being aligned with the measuring volume to measure a volume of material within the body. The cap further includes a thread proximate an opening of the body. The thread is to engage a complementary thread of a container to contain the material. The thread is to enable a seal with the container, the seal being proximate the opening of the body. The cap may be removed from the container to measure a portion of the material and then the cap may be threaded back onto the container to enable the seal to seal the container and the measuring volume of the body against leakage.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/727,046, filed Sep. 5, 2018, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to closures or caps for containers for holding liquids, particulates, powders, or similar materials.

BACKGROUND

Traditional threaded closures or screw caps come in a wide variety of configurations.

Further, it is known to provide a volume scale on a cap, so that the means to take a measurement is readily at hand.

In U.S. Pat. No. 2,804,103, Wall teaches a threaded cap that has graduations for taking measurements. A threaded cylindrical portion sits inside an outer chamber that has graduations. The threaded cylindrical portion mates with a bottle and the outer, measuring chamber sites outside the bottle.

In U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,319, Rubens teaches a threaded cap with a measuring device that is inserted into the bottle. In another example, a thread is provided to the measuring device itself.

SUMMARY

Proper sealing is a problem in measuring caps. Measuring caps are intended to be filled so that material, such as liquid, particulate, or powder, may be measured. However, in many measuring cap designs, filling the cap in this manner brings material into contact with surfaces outside the seal provided by the cap. As such, when the contained is closed, material may seep out of the cap and onto the surface of the container or countertop. Many measuring caps, such as several taught by Wall, appear to make no attempt to solve this problem.

Contamination is also a problem. Rinsing a measuring cap with water after use may sidestep the sealing problem by causing rinse water to leak from the cap instead of the material measured. However, rinse water remaining in the cap may leak into the container to contaminate the material inside, so there are many cases where rinsing should be avoided. In addition, when a measuring device resides inside a container, such as taught by Rubens, the outside of the measuring device may, at different times, come into contact with the contents of the container and a user's hands, thereby promoting contamination of the material in the container or the user's hands.

To solve these and other problems, the present invention provides a cap that includes a body shaped to define a measuring volume. The body includes an opening at one end of the measuring volume and an end surface at an opposite end of the measuring volume. The cap further includes numerical volumetric graduation markings on the body, the markings being aligned with the measuring volume to measure a volume of material within the body. The cap further includes a thread proximate the opening of the body. The thread is to engage a complementary thread of a container to contain the material. The thread is to enable a seal with the container, the seal being proximate the opening of the body. The cap may be removed from the container to measure a portion of the material and then the cap may be threaded back onto the container to enable the seal to seal the container and the measuring volume of the body against leakage.

The thread may be configured to provide the seal.

The cap may further include a sealing element to provide the seal. A sealing element may be a separate gasket.

The thread may be positioned inside the measuring volume. As such, the numerical volumetric graduation markings may be calibrated for a volume differential caused by the thread.

The body may be cylindrical, frustoconical, or spherical. The body may be made of transparent or translucent material.

The cap may further include a spout positioned at the opening to aid in pouring material from the measuring volume.

In other examples, the present invention provides a cap including an outer body shaped to define a measuring volume. The outer body includes an opening at one end of the measuring volume and an end surface at an opposite end of the measuring volume. Numerical volumetric graduation markings are provided on the outer body and are aligned with the measuring volume to measure a volume of material within the outer body. The cap further includes an inner body positioned inside the outer body. The inner body includes an end opening. The cap further includes a thread at the inner body. The thread is accessible through the end opening to engage a complementary thread of a container to contain the material. The cap further includes a seal to seal against the container. The inner body further includes a lateral opening to communicate an interior of the inner body with the measuring volume. The cap may be removed from the container to measure a portion of the material and then the cap may be threaded back onto the container.

The seal may be located at the inner body or the outer body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cap according to the present invention closing a container.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cap of FIG. 1 measuring a material.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cap of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of another cap according to the present invention, where the cap has a separate, internal sealing element.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another cap according to the present invention, where the cap has a spout.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of another cap according to the present invention, where the cap has a separate, external sealing element.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of another cap according to the present invention, where the cap is frustoconical and a seal at an opening of the cap.

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of another cap according to the present invention, where the cap is frustoconical and a seal is inside the cap.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of another cap according to the present invention, where the cap is spherical in shape.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example cap 10 according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, the cap 10 is shown closing a container 12, such as a bottle. In FIG. 2, the cap is showed removed from the container 12 and upended. Material 14, such as liquid, particulate, or powder, stored in the container 12 may be poured into the cap 10 for measurement.

The cap 10 includes a body 20 shaped to define a measuring volume 22 inside the body 20. The body 20 may have a cylindrical shape, as depicted, or another shape such as frustoconical. The body 20 includes a circular opening 24 at one end of the measuring volume 22 and an end surface 26 at an opposite end of the measuring volume 22. The body 20 may be made of opaque material or transparent/translucent material, such as plastic, glass, or a combination of such.

In other examples, the opening 24 may have other shapes besides circular, provided that such shapes are compatible with a thread. For example, an octagonal opening may be used.

The cap 10 incudes numerical volumetric graduation markings 28 on the body 20 and aligned with the measuring volume 22 to measure a volume of material 14 within the body. The numerical volumetric graduation markings 28 may include numbers as well as lines, dots, or similar markings. When the cap 10 is held vertically, in an upended orientation opposite when coupled to the container 12, the numerical volumetric graduation markings 28 accurately indicate the volume of material in the cap 10. The numerical volumetric graduation markings 28 may further include lettering or a symbol to indicate a unit of measure.

The numerical volumetric graduation markings 28 on the body 20 may be printed onto the body, molded with the body 20, etched into the body 20, or provided in a similar manner. The numerical volumetric graduation markings 28 may be provided on the inside or outside of the body 20. If the numerical volumetric graduation markings 28 are provided on the outside of the body, then the body 20 should be transparent or translucent to allow the material being measured to be visually compared to the markings.

The numerical volumetric graduation markings 28 may be of any unit or scale, as suitable for the material being measured. For example, the numerical volumetric graduation markings 28 may indicate numerical values of milliliters, fluid ounces, liters, pints, gallons, cups, teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, fractions thereof, or the like. More than one set of numerical volumetric graduation markings 28 for different units may be provided with accompanying numbers or symbols. It is preferred that the numerical volumetric graduation markings 28 indicate accurate numerical measurements as opposed to arbitrary, unmarked, or recommended amounts. As such, the user may make an informed objective choice as to the exact amount of material to measure. Further, numerical volumetric graduation markings 28 may be raised or provided in braille for the visually impaired, who may be able to discern the level of material while having difficulty reading markings. In such examples, it may be beneficial to provide raised/braille markings on an inside surface of a body, so that a visually impaired user may feel the material level and the markings with their finger.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cap 10 is provided with a thread 40 proximate the circular opening 24 of the body, the thread is to engage a complementary thread 42 on a neck 44 of a container 12 that holds the material to be stored, measured, and dispensed. The thread 40 may enable a seal between the cap 10, where the seal is proximate the circular opening 24 of the body 20. As such, most or all residual material remaining in the cap after a measurement returns to the container 12 under influence of gravity. Little or no material seeps from the opening 24 of the cap 10 and onto the outside surface of the container 12.

The thread 40 of the cap 10 may be configured to provide the seal. This may be achieved by making the thread 40 from a material that is softer than the complementary thread 42 of the container 12. The groove (or root) of the thread 40 of the cap 10 may be slightly undersized with respect to the ridge (or crest) of the thread 42 of the container 12. As such, the female thread 40 of the cap 10 may deform in response to mating with the male thread 42 of the container 12 to thereby enable the seal. In other examples, the cap thread 40 is male and the container thread 42 is female.

In addition, because the thread 40 enables the seal to be proximate the circular opening 24, the thread 40 itself may be positioned inside the measuring volume defined by the numerical volumetric graduation markings 28. That is, a portion of the useful measuring volume of the cap 10 may include the thread 40. Accordingly, the numerical volumetric graduation markings 28 may be calibrated for a volume differential caused by the thread 40. For example, a groove of thread 40 may provide increased local volume, and to compensate the numerical volumetric graduation markings 28 may be positioned closer together in the vicinity of the thread 40. Conversely, a ridge of a thread 40 may locally decrease the measurement volume, and to compensate the numerical volumetric graduation markings 28 may be positioned further apart in the vicinity of the thread 40.

In use, the cap 10 may be removed from the container 12 to measure a portion of the material. Then, the cap 10 may be threaded back onto the container 12 to enable the seal to seal the container 12 and the measuring volume 22 of the body 20 against leakage.

FIG. 4 show another example cap 50. The cap 50 is similar to the cap 10. The description of the cap 10 should be referenced for matter not repeated here.

The cap 50 includes an annular ridge 54 on an inside surface of the body 52. The annular ridge 54 is proximate the thread 40 towards the interior of the body 52. A sealing element, such as a gasket 56, may be provided to the annular ridge 54 to form a seal with a cylindrical end 58 of the neck 44 of a container 12. As such, engaging the threads 40, 42 brings the end 58 of the neck 44 into contact with the gasket 56, thereby compressing the gasket 56 to enable the seal. The gasket 56 may be a separate and free to be removed from the cap 50 or may be permanently bonded to the cap 50. The gasket 56 may be made of any relatively soft and deformable material.

The annular ridge 54 and gasket 56 may be positioned as close to the opening 24 in the body 52 as the thread 40 will allow to minimize leakage of material. That is, the closer the annular ridge 54 and gasket 56 are to the opening 24, the less residual material will be present outside the seal to potentially leak.

In addition, annular ridge 54 and gasket 56 may be positioned inside the measuring volume. As such, the numerical volumetric graduation markings 28 may be calibrated for a volume differential caused by the annular ridge 54 and gasket 56.

In other examples, the thread 40 may be replaced by lugs that engage the thread 42 of the container 12. Lugs are known to be used on caps and provide for mechanical engagement without sealing. Hence, lugs may be used in the cap 50 (and similar caps discuss herein) instead of the thread, as the seal is provided separately.

FIG. 5 shows another example cap 60 having additional features. The cap 60 is similar to the cap 10. The description of the cap 10 should be referenced for matter not repeated here.

The cap 60 includes a spout 62 to aid in pouring material from the cap 60. The body of the cap 60 may be shaped to define the spout 62.

FIG. 6 shows another example cap 70. The cap 70 is similar to the cap 10. The description of the cap 10 should be referenced for matter not repeated here.

The cap 70 includes a sealing element 72, such as a gasket, at its open end. The sealing element 72 may be made of material that is deformable, such as foam, synthetic rubber, or similar material, as compared to the relatively hard material of the cap body 20. The sealing element 72 may be positioned on an annular surface around the circular opening 24 and may be bonded to such surface.

The container 74 may include a ridge 76 around a lower portion of its neck 44. The ridge 76 may include a surface 78 to receive abutment of the sealing element 72 of the cap 70 when the thread 40 of the cap 70 is screwed onto the thread 42 of the container 74. As such, the sealing element 72 may be compressed to form a seal. It should be noted that the thread 40 of the cap 70 may be made longer than the thread 42 of the container 74 to ensure that sufficient thread travel exists to bring the sealing element 72 to bear upon the surface 78.

In other examples, the sealing element 72 may be provided to the surface 78 on the ridge 76 of the container 74.

FIG. 7 shows another example cap 80. The cap 80 is similar to the cap 10. The description of the cap 10 should be referenced for matter not repeated here.

The cap 80 has a frustoconical outer body 82 that defines a measuring volume 84. The cap 80 may be shaped to resemble a shot glass. A thread 86, such as a female thread, is located inside the body 82 towards a closed end of the body 82. The thread 86 may be provided on an inside of an inner cylindrical body 88 positioned inside the frustoconical body 82. The thread 86 is shown schematically for sake of clarity.

Numerical volumetric graduation markings 90 are provided to the frustoconical body 82 and are calibrated for the shape of the body 82 and for the differential of the thread 86 and inner cylindrical body 88. The markings 90 may be positioned on the inside or outside surface of the body 82.

A separate sealing element 92 is provided at the wide opening of the frustoconical body 82. That is, the sealing element 92 is provided at the lip of the cap 80. The sealing element 92 may be as discussed elsewhere herein and may include a gasket.

The inner cylindrical body 88 receives a neck of a container 96, such as a bottle, through its end opening 102. When the thread 86 of the cap 80 is mated with a thread 94 of the container 96, the sealing element 92 of the cap 80 is compressed against an outside surface 98 of the container 96 to form the seal. As such, leakage from the cap 80 may be limited to a smaller surface of the container 96 rather than the container as a whole and, possibly, the surface on which the container is placed.

The angle of the sealing element 92 of the cap 80 and the cap's supporting surface behind the sealing element 92 may be selected to match the local angle of the surface 98 of the container 96, so as to increase sealing area.

The inner cylindrical body 88 that carries the thread 86 has an interior volume that forms part of the measuring volume 84. To improve flow of material between the interior volume of the inner cylindrical body 88 and the remainder of the measuring volume 84, a lateral opening 100 may be provided in the wall of the inner cylindrical body 88. Any suitable number of lateral openings 100 may be provided. As such, material is less likely to become trapped inside the inner cylindrical body 88. Trapped material could reduce the accuracy of measurements or could cause material to flow unevenly from the measuring volume 84.

FIG. 8 shows another example cap 110. The cap 110 is similar to the cap 80. The description of the cap 80 should be referenced for matter not repeated here.

A separate sealing element 112 is provided at an end opening 102 of an inner body 88 that carries a thread 86. The sealing element 112 is provided at an end lip of the inner body 88. The sealing element 112 may be as discussed elsewhere herein and may include a gasket.

The sealing element 112 is aligned with a ridge 76 that extends around a lower portion of a neck 44 of a container 114, such as a bottle.

The inner cylindrical body 88 of the cap 110 receives the neck 44 of the container 114 through its end opening 102. When the thread 86 of the cap 110 is mated with a thread 94 of the container 96, the sealing element 112 of the cap 110 is compressed against a surface 78 of the ridge 76. As such, sealing may be effected close to the thread 86. This allows for material that may be trapped in the thread 86 to be returned to the container by gravity.

As in the example of FIG. 7, to improve flow of material between the interior volume of the inner cylindrical body 88 and the remainder of the measuring volume 84, any suitable number of lateral openings 100 may be provided in the wall of the inner cylindrical body 88. A lateral opening 100 may be closed off or sealed by an outside cylindrical surface 116 of the neck 44 of the container 114.

FIG. 9 shows another example cap 120. The cap 120 is similar to the other caps discussed herein. The description of the other caps should be referenced for matter not repeated here.

The cap 120 includes a thread 40 that seals with a thread 42 of a container 12. In other examples, a separate sealing element, such as those discussed elsewhere herein, may be used.

The cap 120 includes a round body 122, which may be spherical or oblate spherical in shape. Numerical volumetric graduation markings 124 may be provided to the body 122 and may be calibrated for the shaped of measuring volume 126, so that volume divisions that are evenly distributed numerically are reflected by a non-linear arrangement of markings 124.

In view of the above, it should be apparent that the measuring caps of the invention reduce time wasted in having to locate a separate measuring device. Further, leakage is reduced by way of a seal that may be positioned at the cap to minimize leaking of material onto the container, countertop, table. etc. In addition, the risk of contamination may also be reduced, as the cap need not be rinsed and is less prone to having a material-contacting surface (wetted surface) touched by the user. Further, the cap may have various internal shapes and sizes and various internal features, and the numerical volumetric graduation markings may be arranged to account for the resulting effects on measuring volume.

Various features of the example discussed above may be provided to other examples. For instance, the sealing thread of the cap 10 may be provided to the differently shaped caps of FIGS. 8 and 9. Likewise, the separate seal of FIG. 4 or 6 may be provided to the cap of FIG. 9. Further, the spout 62 of FIG. 5 may be provided to any of the other caps. Further, in any example, the numerical volumetric graduation markings may be provided on an inside surface or outside surface of a body. Numerous other examples of the present invention are contemplated where each example adopts various features from the examples discussed above.

It should be recognized that features and aspects of the various examples provided above can be combined into further examples that also fall within the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the figures are not to scale and may have size and shape exaggerated for illustrative purposes. 

1. A cap comprising: an outer body shaped to define a measuring volume, the outer body including an opening at one end of the measuring volume and an end surface at an opposite end of the measuring volume; numerical volumetric graduation markings on the outer body and aligned with the measuring volume to measure a volume of material within the outer body; an inner body positioned inside the outer body, the inner body including an end opening; a thread at the inner body and accessible through the end opening, the thread to engage a complementary thread of a container to contain the material; and a seal to seal against the container; wherein the inner body further includes a lateral opening to communicate an interior of the inner body with the measuring volume; wherein the cap may be removed from the container to measure a portion of the material and then the cap may be threaded back onto the container.
 2. The cap of claim 1, wherein the seal is at the inner body.
 3. The cap of claim 1, wherein the seal is at the outer body.
 4. A cap comprising: a body shaped to define a measuring volume, the body including an opening at one end of the measuring volume and an end surface at an opposite end of the measuring volume; numerical volumetric graduation markings on the body and aligned with the measuring volume to measure a volume of material within the body; and a thread proximate the opening of the body, the thread to engage a complementary thread of a container to contain the material, the thread to enable a seal with the container proximate the opening of the body; wherein the cap may be removed from the container to measure a portion of the material and then the cap may be threaded back onto the container to enable the seal to seal the container and the measuring volume of the body against leakage.
 5. The cap of claim 4, wherein the thread is configured to provide the seal.
 6. The cap of claim 4, further comprising a sealing element to provide the seal.
 7. The cap of claim 4, wherein the thread is inside the measuring volume.
 8. The cap of claim 7, wherein the numerical volumetric graduation markings are calibrated for a volume differential caused by the thread.
 9. The cap of claim 4, wherein the body is cylindrical.
 10. The cap of claim 4, wherein the body is frustoconical.
 11. The cap of claim 4, wherein the body is spherical.
 12. The cap of claim 4, wherein the body is transparent or translucent.
 13. The cap of claim 4, further comprising a spout positioned at the opening to aid in pouring material from the measuring volume.
 14. The cap of claim 4, wherein the numerical volumetric graduation markings are raised or include braille. 